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"John." Shepard nodded in greeting, dabbing a wet towel across her bare midriff as she came down into his quarters, sequestered down in engineering.

"Commander." He nodded back, resealing the hardened front compartment of his helmet and holding it up to rap his knuckle against. Humming, he turned and pitched it at her. She caught it easily, fingers hooking under its chin, and he stood and caught the towel she pitched him, dabbing at his neck around the tank top he wore to match hers, "VISR was acting up with the tweaks you sent for the dreadnought run."

"Ah." She hummed, holding it up for a moment in a silent request for permission. He gave it with a nod and sat, and she slid it on and keyed her 'Tool up. After a moment, she hummed, "Ah. A conflict between my anti-cloak scan-program and your hardware… Sorry."

"Fixable?"

"Easily enough." She nodded, which looked strange with his helmet on. Another minute passed while she worked and she nodded, pulling it off and pitching it back. "Gimme the towel back. Damn heat sinks are killing me…"

"Us." He chuckled, "Everyone that isn't a Krogan, really. How far out are we?"

"One hour." She sighed, "That's why I came. EDI said you needed a hand to be ready."

"Ah." He smiled, "Thanks, EDI."

"Of course, John." The AI answered, "And you should know that we have received four messages from Specialist Eclaire since reporting to-"

"That can wait until after we're done here." He cut the AI off, "But, uh, thank you, EDI."

"The specialist, huh?" Shepard smiled, cocking a hip and crossing her arms. He sighed but resigned himself to the ribbing - hers and everyone else's, that was. "And here I thought you were a monk."

"It's not like that." He argued quietly, well aware of how vain an argument it was going to be no matter what he said. "It's just… After the Citadel, we started trading messages."

"About?"

"A lot of things." He shrugged, "Mostly the pods, though. Design tweaks, suggestions- I've been trying to get her onboard with lightening the armor. More manoeuvrability that way, without relying on Eezo."

"Why avoid Eezo?" Shepard asked, "Reaper sensors?"

"Mostly." Doe nodded, half glad for the change of subject, as slight as it was, and half dreading the subject entirely. "According to her, some insertion runs are coming back with total casualties. A drop is always going to have some, but… Total, before impact? And always when a Reaper is at the planet. Which coincides with more Reapers garrisoning planets…"

"The Reapers themselves are more advanced than anything else we've ever seen." Shepard nodded, "Maybe they can… Detect Eezo better, somehow? But why not just give those sensors to their destroyers and ground sensors, then?"

"No idea." John grunted, "But…"

"It's worth a shot." Shepard nodded, understanding what he was trying to say. Shaking her head, she asked ,"EDI, estimate on time?"

"Fifteen minutes to final power-down of all systems, to get to the coordinates provided by Tali." The AI reported, "Light-signals from the Migrant Fleet indicate they will be in position to stage the distraction as required."

"Good." She sighed, turning to leave and adding. "Armory has your Avenger waiting, John. An upgraded thermal exchanger and flash-suppressor, like you asked. I had the block and firing system updated with a disruptor system, too. Should help handle the Geth."

"Thank you." He nodded, already reaching for his chest-piece. Holding it, he turned and said, "I'll be ready, Commander."

"Good." She smiled, "It'll be nice, fighting together again."

"Yeah." He smiled in return, "It will be."

He met the Krogan and Shepard in the hall leading to the cockpit only ten minutes later, watching his VISR's scrolling reports on his armor's status. It all came back green, aside from the software conflicts he'd gotten used to. Unavoidable, minor conflicts that came inevitably from merging two literally different worlds of technology. Shepard and Grunt were already waiting, and the latter pushed off the wall to turn and pay him a nod as he joined them.

"Tali?"

"Grabbing a special last minute addition." Shepard sighed, "Tech from Admiral Xen, apparently. Special-made for us, and this mission."

"Wonder what it is…"

"I'm hoping it's a new gun." Grunt rumbled and laughed, hefting his battle-scarred and bayoneted Claymore with a smile. "Not that I need one, but… Heh."

"Are you saying you'd turn down a fancy new gun…?"

"Depends." The Krogan warrior hummed, "Is it a good gun, or some dainty Quarian crap?"

"You've been on a Quarian ship, Grunt. You know just how sturdy their stuff can be." Shepard sighed, leaning against the bulkhead. Smiling, she cocked her head and went on, "And Tali knows you, too, Uncle Grunt. She wouldn't make you something that wouldn't last."

"Fair."

Shepard chuckled and then turned a bit, smiling and pushing off the wall, "Tali. Ready to get moving?"

"Yeah," Joker called from the cockpit, "because, uh, I can't float out here forever. Heat sinks are already at ninety-percent. If we don't move now, we'll start glowing by the time we make distance to vent safely."

"Or appear on thermal sensors…"

"I did feel like that laser right there was looking at me funny."

"I'm ready to go, Commander." Tali sighed while the two bickered quietly in the cockpit. Shaking her head, she offered the woman a little cylinder, about as long as her hand with fresh looking welds on the little caps and a simple red-yellow-green light in the middle. Shepard took it and Tali turned, offering each of them one and explaining, "Geth weaponry fire plasma-coated rounds that tear through our shield systems. We made some retrofits, back in the hunt for Saren, but…"

"The Geth adapted." Shepard nodded, "I remember our brushes with them back before the Suicide Mission."

"We found a way to modulate our ships' kinetic barriers to dissipate the plasma, more or less, and reduce our primary barriers' energy expenditure." Tali explained quietly, holding up one of the cylinders. "This is a prototype I've been working on to miniaturize it. The power won't hold out for more than five or six hours, but…"

"It's good for an op."

"One," she nodded, "yes. After, I can make more, for… Other missions."

"Understood." She nodded, offering her cylinder to John and grunting, "Show us how to do it on Grunt, and we'll do each other."

"Heh, Shepard…"

"Yeah, Joker, I heard it, shut up." Shepard sighed, "And take us in to dock. We get these online and we go in."

"Yes, Commander." Joker answered sharply, all military discipline now as he prepared for the manuever - and the escape afterwards.

"Let's get it done…" Shepard muttered, turning around so John could access the back of her armor, and the primary barrier generator.

A few quick minutes later, John felt the familiar odd chill of his armor shielding him from space as he stepped out of the airlock and onto the shattered access gimbal the Normandy had attached to. What it had been for, he wasn't sure and it didn't matter terribly much, but it was torn up, with massive gaps of missing plating and debris drifting out around the long tube. Whatever the case, the distant chill was a pleasure after so long in the steadily building heat of the ship and its stealth systems. A pleasurable chill, but…

A gut-wrenching, distant, borrowed memory.

"Doe?" Shepard asked, turning to give him a worried look as the other three stepped out and he moved forward. "Your heart-rate is climbing…"

"I'm fine." He sighed, giving her a meaningful look, "It's not my nightmare…"

"Ah." She hissed, "Right… Smartass."

"Better than a dumb one." He chuckled, "Lead the way, Commander."

She nodded and, placing her feet carefully, she began to walk across the shattered gimbal. The three of them followed in her footsteps, with their heaviest, Grunt, at the rear. Once they were far enough away, the Normandy detached behind them, sending a soft but no less nerve wracking shudder through the entire frame under their feet. It settled after a moment, though, and when they didn't see the gimbal come apart, the Normandy pulled away.

They were on their own, now…

"By the stars and ancestors…" He heard Tali murmur as they passed a starward tear, and got a good view at the distant battle. The Migrant Fleet were assaulting in force, and were close enough they could see the ships going up on either side. "It's a bloodbath."

"We'll get it sorted." Grunt rumbled lowly, his baritone warbling over the comm-line. "However you want."

"Big promise, Uncle…"

"Yeah." Grunt chuckled, "And I don't lie, do I?"

"No, but-"

"He's right." Shepard cut in as they reached the end of the tear and she lingered, "We'll get it sorted… As soon as we can."

"Right…"

They moved on in silence for a few more minutes, before they reached another massive tear in the gimbal. This one went all the way around, though, the rest of the access-way only held on by three huge cables spaced at quarters around its edge, with a fourth torn up and drifting in the vacuum at the last quarter. Past it was a huge, round and simplistic airlock, pitted in places by light accelerator fire. The same fire that had probably torn up the gimbal in the first place, while it was docked to something - he assumed the in progress Dyson sphere, for as little as it mattered.

"One at a time." Shepard ordered, "I'll go first and catch people as they come."

"Yes, Commander." They all answered.

The leap itself was a long one, considering all the ways it could go wrong. Maybe five feet. But, for all he knew Shepard was terrified of space, she didn't hesitate to back up a step and take a few long strides before she leapt. She landed well past the edge, wary of its ragged tears and weakness, and turned to wave them forward. Their jumps were safer, at least comparatively, taking the same strides and pushing off, but turning and tucking their legs up instead of trying to land. Shepard caught them instead, her powerful cybernetics able to even catch Grunt and turn him, setting him down behind her, with ease.

"How much did your augmentations cost again…?"

"Just a fall from orbit." Shepard chuckled, flicking John a wry look he saw even past her face mask. "Why? Interested? I'm sure you'd get to Rannoch in a month or so if I threw you now."

"I'll consider it." He chuckled, raising his rifle. "Business first, though."

"Right you are…"

"You two are way too chipper for this…" Tali sighed, shaking her head tiredly. "It's like you're out for a walk instead of invading a super-dreadnought."

"I mean…"

"Compared to the Suicide Mission…" Grunt added with a chuckle.

"It kind of is a walk?" Shepard finished, shrugging and rolling her shoulder while she drew her Carnifex. "It's still going to be rough, at least inside, sure, but out here? We're just on a walk."

"...You're still insane, I see." Tali sighed, though she sounded more amused than upset. At least to him. "Come on then. Let's go for a walk…"

"A very enthusiastic walk!" Grunt rumbled, "Haha!"

The Geth airlock was… Surprisingly simplistic, with a simple round door that slid out and up along the hull to let them in, and took Tali next to no time to access. Whether that was because she was that good, which he didn't doubt, or that security for the hatch was relatively weak. Inside, it was just as simple and painfully shallow, reaching in barely five feet and forcing them to cram inside while Tali knelt to access the panel. This one took just a bit longer, but he was more inclined to blame that on how hard he had her pressed against the wall in the small space.

"New rule," Shepard muttered as the door opened and they slid forward into the hall, "no Krogan in tiny airlocks."

"Hehe…"

The hall was a wide one, but clearly a service one - or at least so he assumed - with electrical work and piping running along every surface and heavy, industrial grating under their feet. It was simply lit by a line-light that ran along the center of the ceiling and floor, casting everything in a stark, pale white. But it was empty as they proceeded. Empty and quiet, their footsteps echoing off the walls thanks to the pressurization in the area. What that was for, he wasn't sure, but Tali had suggested they keep their masks on anyways - other parts, apparently, probably wouldn't be pressurized.

Eventually, they reached another door and he turned to watch their route while Grunt stood over Tali protectively and she worked to access it.

"Surprised how quiet it is…" Grunt rumbled after a moment, "Expected more."

"Damn it, Grunt…"

"Why would you say that?"

John just rolled his eyes while the other two chastised the warrior and he mumbled apologies. But then movement, far down the hall, caught his eyes and he frowned. He wasn't sure what he'd seen, exactly, but he rose anyway, an old, ingrained instinct running through him the same way as when he'd fought Cerberus. He saw it again a moment later, a faint movement, likesteam wafting through the air, and his rifle snapped up.

The Geth was faster, firing a cluster-shot of plasma-encased rounds that he ducked, standing to return fire while Shepard swore and rushed to join him. The disruptor rounds did their work, ripping its shields apart and then working to disable the machine as it advanced, stumbling over a leg overloaded and fried by the fire before a heavy pistol round ripped through its neck right below its mono-eye and it collapsed.

"Target down!" Shepard reported while he pinged his VISR.

"FIve more coming." He grunted, kneeling and leaning to the side against the wall, using a pipe for the tiniest bit of cover he could manage. He fired for their electronic signatures and caught one, ripping through the small figure's chest and sending it reeling while the others parted around it.

"Damnit, nevermind!" Shepard snarled, "Tali, the door-"

"Protocols keep coming up!" She argued hotly, "It's- I think some Geth are in the door, trying to stop me!"

"Grunt, blast the door!"

"This close to the hull-"

"Relax." The Krogan rumbled while John stood, shielding the Krogan while he fished out an explosive charge. He put down two more Geth while Shepard finished the rest, but he could see more beyond them, hazy and almost hidden by the latent electronics of the dead Geth and their dirsuptor rounds.

A downside of them he hadn't considered until now…

"But, Grunt-"

"I know what I'm doing." The Krogan went on, "They're displacer charges- I'm just going to make a gap and rip it down."

"That went really well on the Collector Base!"

"Hey!" Shepard laughed, "We didn't die!"

"Not for lack of trying!" Tali shouted, "You absolute… Psychopaths!"

John smiled and lowered his rifle to let it cool, trading it for his Predator to put down a Geth that survived Shepard's last round annihilating most of its face. Then he saw a smaller, sleeker, barely visible electronic signature on the roof and frowned. It rushed for them while its ground-based brethren rushed up the hall, firing suppressive lines of automatic fire that forced them all to duck while plasma-encased rounds ripped apart the hull around them, filling the air with smoke and bouncing off their shields.

A second later a heavy round slammed into his chest and he snarled as he fell back against the Krogan, who turned and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Doe?!"

"I'm fine!" He gasped, throwing himself to the side, "Barriers ate it! What was that?"

"It's a Stalker, and you're welcome!" Tali called out, stepping past him with what looked like an old-world tube grenade launcher in her hand. It fired with a buzz, though, and lit up the entire length of the hall in electrical fire. She discarded it and noted, "Reegar's Buzz Launcher works… He'll be happy to know that,"

"Yeah." John nodded, standing while his barriers came back up. He eyed the sparking, smoking launcher and hummed. "One-use?"

"Yeah." She nodded, turning as dull 'thumpfs' went off behind them and Grunt slammed into the door, wrenching it open with a scream. She sighed, then, and muttered, "Well, subtlety was already out…"

"More contacts." Doe warned, raising his rifle, "Seven- Bodies are slowing them down, though."

"Move." Shepard ordered, "And Tali, slap a mine on this side of the door. One of your Overload mines."

"Yes, Ma'am."

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